Annika Eriksson b. 1956
Wir Bleiben/The Last Tenants (2011)
Duration: 19'20"

Wir Bleiben/The Last Tenants is a twenty minutes video loop that focuses on the building where Eriksson used to live. Built in 1755 it has survived centuries, decades and two World Wars. Since the wall came down, the neighborhood has been rapidly gentrified. The work is portraying the last tenants of the building: their decision to remain in their apartments and the fight for their rights. In asking the tenants of the building -– her former neighbors – to tell their story, she provides us with a portrait of the building. In the work, the former tenants speak from a moment of occupation, but also from a marked displacement, as if they were trapped in a time pocket.